The present invention relates to precessional gyroscopic exercise devices for exercising both the upper and/or lower body. More specifically the present invention relates to a precessional gyroscopic exercise device having a housing with handles connected thereto, and the use of such a device.
Precessional exercise devices are known and typically require a user to grasp the device with his hand. For example, in one gyroscopic exerciser as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,146 to Mishler, a rotor is mounted within a housing and a portion of the rotor is exposed through an open portion of the housing to permit manual spinning of the rotor. By manually giving the rotor an initial spin about its shaft or spin axis and then manipulating the device, the rotor is caused to precess about an axis substantially at right angles to the spin axis. This precession of the spinning rotor causes a precessional torque to be generated. The manual application of an opposing torque by a user provides the exercise effect.
It is also known to provide various mechanisms for a user to engage a precessional exercise device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,846 to Lin discloses a wrist exerciser having a shell which is provided with rigidly-attached protruding plate members which serve as handles. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 351,437 to Previews discloses a gyroscopic exerciser with a single elongated handle rigidly attached to the housing, while U.S. Pat. No. Des. 350,796 to Previews discloses two opposing elongated handles rigidly attached to the housing. Precessional torque in these known devices is translated to the handle(s), and provides an exercise effect when a user holds the handle(s) and resists the torque generated by the device. These known mechanisms for a user to engage a precessional exercise device do not permit the device to be used in a way to exercise major muscle groups beyond those of the lower arm. Based on the way such devices are necessarily held by the user, they only exercise a limited set of muscles, primarily those of the hand, wrist, and forearm.
In all of these known precessional exercise systems, the mechanism by which the user holds or engages the device is rigid with regard to the housing. As a result, the user is simply providing correctional torques to counter the gyroscopic wobbling of the device, and cannot perform a variety of motions providing exercise of a variety of muscle groups. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a precessional exercise device in which the user can perform a variety of motions, thereby exercising a variety of muscle groups.
Furthermore, in all of these known devices, the handles are located in the plane of precession of the rotor (i.e., the plane in which the spin axis of the rotor during its precession, in the average, coincident with the physical channel provided to support the ends of the rotor shaft), offset by 90 degrees from the axis of precession. To operate a precessional device, the axis of precession must be continuously deflected. To impart such a deflection with handles located on the plane of precession requires a large degree of articulation and use of the wrist jointxe2x80x94thus it is difficult, if not impossible, to manipulate these handles in a circular motion to gyroscopically operate the device. Thus, there is a need in the art for a gyroscopic precessional exercise device in which the handles can be manipulated in a circular motion to operate the device.
One variation of the present invention provides an apparatus including: a housing having a precession axis; a rotor assembly comprising a rotor and an axle, the axle having a longitudinal axis defining a spin axis for the rotor; and first and second handles, each handle being movably coupled to the housing. The rotor is rotatable relative to the housing about the spin axis, and the rotor assembly is rotatable relative to the housing about the precession axis. The rotor assembly may also be tiltable relative to the housing.
The apparatus of this variation may include a motor, which is selectively operable by the user to control or contribute to the spin of the rotor about the spin axis. The apparatus may also include a second motor, which is selectively operable by the user to control the precession of the rotor assembly about the precession axis. An electrical generator may also be used, that electrical generator being selectively operable by the user to generate electrical energy from the rotational energy associated with the spin of the rotor about the spin axis and/or the rotation of the rotor assembly about the precession axis.
The movable coupling of the handles to the housing may be a rotational coupling, in which case each handle can have an associated crank axis, and each handle is rotatable, about its crank axis, relative to the housing. Each handle is moveable in a circular path in a plane substantially perpendicular to its crank axis, and each handle remains in substantially the same orientation during its motion in the circular path. The motion of the first and second handles in their circular paths contributes to the rotation of the rotor assembly about the precession axis. The crank axes of the first and second handles may be arranged to be substantially parallel, and also may be offset from each other. The handles are preferably located on or near the precession axis.
Thus, a variation of the present invention is disclosed of an apparatus including: a housing; a rotor assembly comprising a rotor and an axle. The axle has a longitudinal axis defining a spin axis for the rotor, and the rotor assembly is freely rotatable within the housing. Accordingly, the rotor is rotatable relative to the housing about the spin axis, and the rotor assembly is rotatable relative to the housing about a precession axis substantially perpendicular to the spin axis. Also, the rotor assembly is tiltable relative to the housing. The apparatus further includes first and second handles rotatably coupled to the housing. Each handle has a crank axis, the crank axes being offset from each other, and each handle is rotatable, about its crank axis, relative to the housing. Each handle is movable in a circular path in a plane substantially perpendicular to its crank axis, and the rotatable coupling of the handles to the housing allows each handle to remain in substantially the same orientation during its motion in the circular path.
Another variation of the present invention provides an apparatus including: a housing having a precession axis; a rotor assembly comprising a rotor and an axle, the axle having a longitudinal axis defining a spin axis for the rotor; a precession plane substantially perpendicular to the precession axis; and first and second handles coupled to housing, offset from the precession plane. The rotor is rotatable relative to the housing about the spin axis, and the rotor assembly is rotatable relative to the housing about the precession axis. The rotor assembly may also be tiltable relative to the housing. The handles are preferably located along or near the precession axis.
The apparatus of this variation may further include a motor which is selectively operable to contribute to or control the spin of the rotor about the spin axis. The apparatus may further include a second motor which is selectively operable to control the rotation of the rotor assembly about the precession axis. An electrical generator may also be included, generator being selectively operable to generate electrical energy from the rotational energy associated with the spin of the rotor about the spin axis or the rotation of the rotor assembly about the precession axis. In this variation, the handles may be either rigidly or movably coupled to the housing. If movably coupled, the movable coupling may be a universal joint or a rotational coupling.
If the handles are movably coupled to the housing by a rotational coupling, each handle has an associated crank axis, and each handle is rotatable, about its crank axis, relative to the housing. The crank axes of the first and second handles may be substantially parallel, and may be offset from each other. Each handle is movable in a circular path in a plane substantially perpendicular to its crank axis, and each handle remains in substantially the same orientation during its motion in the circular path. The motion of the first and second handles in their circular paths contributes to the rotation of the rotor assembly about the precession axis.
Thus, a variation of the present invention is disclosed of an apparatus including: a housing having a precession axis, and a rotor assembly comprising a rotor and an axle. The axle has a longitudinal axis defining a spin axis for the rotor. The rotor assembly is freely rotatable within the housing such that: the rotor is rotatable relative to the housing about the spin axis, the rotor assembly is rotatable relative to the housing about the precession axis, and the rotor assembly is tiltable relative to the housing. The apparatus further includes a precession plane substantially perpendicular to the precession axis, and first and second handles movably coupled to the housing along or near the precession axis.
Another variation of the present invention provides an apparatus including: a housing having a precession axis, and a rotor assembly comprising a rotor and an axle. The axle has a longitudinal axis defining a spin axis for the rotor, and the rotor has an associated rotor plane substantially perpendicular to the spin axis. The apparatus further includes at least one tilt assembly coupling the rotor assembly to the housing and defining a precession axis for the rotor assembly. The rotor is rotatable about the spin axis relative to the housing, the rotor assembly is rotatable about the precession axis relative to the housing, and the tilt assembly is selectively operable to tilt the rotor plane relative to the precession axis.
The apparatus of this variation may further include a circular channel positioned within the housing. First and second ends of the axle are fitted in the channel. The at least one tilt assembly is adjustable between a first position in which the rotor plane and precession axis are substantially coincident, and a second position in which the rotor plane is tilted relative to the precession axis by a tilt angle. The tilt angle is preferably in the range of about 0.5 degrees to about 3 degrees, and more preferably in the range of about 1 degree to about 2 degrees. When the at least one tilt assembly is in the first position, the axle is not in contact with the channel, and when the at least one tilt assembly is in the second position, the axle contacts the channel.
In this variation, each of the at least one tilt assemblies may include a first linkage assembly associated with the rotor assembly and a second linkage assembly associated with the housing. The first and second linkage assemblies are operatively associated to adjust the tilt assembly between the first and second positionsxe2x80x94when the tilt assembly is in the first position, the axle is not in contact with the channel, and when the tilt assembly is in the second position the axle contacts the channel. The second linkage assembly may comprise a reciprocating member that extends from inside the housing to outside the housing, and the second linkage assembly may provide a biasing force (for example with a spring) biasing the first linkage member so as to maintain the tilt assembly in the first position. A handle may be associated with each of the at least one tilt assemblies, such that the tilt assemblies may be adjusted between the first and second positions by selective application of a bias-overcoming force on the handle by a userxe2x80x94when the user applies no force to the handle, the tilt assembly is maintained in the first position by the biasing force. At least part of the at least one tilt assembly may be rotatable relative to the housing.
A method of exercising is disclosed, the method including: providing an exercise device comprising: engaging the handles by the user; activating the rotor and the tilt assemblies, thereby spinning the rotor and tilting the rotor plane, thereby producing a gyroscopic precessional torque and inducing a wobbling motion in the housing; and providing a force counter to the induced motion by moving the handles in a circular pedaling motion; thereby exercising the user. The exercise device provided includes: a housing having a precession axis, and a rotor assembly comprising a rotor and an axle. The axle has a longitudinal axis defining a spin axis for the rotor assembly, and the rotor has an associated rotor plane substantially perpendicular to the spin axis. The device further includes two tilt assemblies coupling the rotor assembly to the housing and defining a precession axis for the rotor assembly, and handles associated with each of the tilt assemblies. The rotor is rotatable about the spin axis within the housing, the rotor assembly is rotatable about the precession axis within the housing, and the tilt assembly is selectively operable to tilt the rotor plane relative to the precession axis.
Another variation of the present invention provides an apparatus including: a rotor having a spin axis, and a housing containing the rotor, the housing having a precession axis substantially perpendicular to the spin axis. Rotation of the rotor about the spin axis is driven by a motor, and rotation of the rotor about the precession axis is driven by a motor. The same motor may drive rotation of the rotor about both the spin and precession axes, or a first motor may drive the rotation of the rotor about the spin axis and a second motor drive the rotation of the rotor about the precession axis. The apparatus of this variation may further include at least one externally positioned handle. The handle(s) may be either rigidly or movably coupled to the housing.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, drawings and claims.